If you watched Nintendo's hour-long info dump about the Switch 2, then you already know that GameCube games are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online. That's genuinely exciting news, but we're going to save those games for closer to the system's launch. For today, we're going to look at a couple of oddball 3D platformers from the 1990s that are being re-released on modern consoles, namely Glover and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Yeah, those are a bit unexpected, but are either of them actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. Look, I know you were expecting me to talk about SoulCalibur II, but try not to be too disappointed by this episode of 3D Platformer Review Crew.


You don't need me to tell you that when Super Mario 64 was released in 1996, it sent shockwaves throughout the entire industry. It was not just a massive success, but also a sea change for what gamers expected out of their platformers. Given the high demand for the genre, it makes sense that practically every developer wanted to get in on the 3D platformer action. But with so much competition flooding the Nintendo 64, you really had to try something new and unique to stand out from the crowd. And that brings us to Glover, a weird little hero who is, well, a glove. Through a bunch of clever levels, the glove is tasked with getting the ball to the goal. Simple, right? Not so fast, because this 3D platformer has a real learning curve. With a Glover port out now on modern consoles, let's see what the critics said about the Nintendo 64 version back when it first came out.

As is so often the case, we find Electronic Gaming Monthly smack dab in the middle of the scale, with an average score of 6.25 out of 10. While that may sound low, it doesn't tell the full story, because there was a bit of a disagreement amongst the editors. Dean gave it a 5, complaining that “to me, this is really an annoying concept for a game. Learning to manipulate the hand and ball through Mario-like environments is like using chop-sticks to eat soup. I'm sure the idea is to get really proficient, but I finally lost interest after futilely batting the ball against the side of a pool for ten minutes. To me, it's another game that hides under the cloak of the ‘kids game' genre. Is it boring because it's for kids or is it really just boring?” Crispin disagreed, going all the way up to an 8: “Glover comes as a pleasant surprise – and not ‘cause it's one of those outta-the-blue games that just happens to be really fun. This addicting hybrid is big on puzzle and exploration elements, with a heavy dollup of Marbel Madness plopped in. It all makes for a surprisingly deep game with lots of secrets and techniques to master, even if the steep learning curve throws you into the thick of things a bit too quickly.”

EGM's score is right in line with what you saw from Next Generation, who gave the 3D platformer a middling score of 3 out of 5. That's the same score you saw out of Computer & Video Games, who agreed with a lot of Dean's criticisms. However, it was GamePro who gave it the lowest mark – 2.5 out of 5. “Let's not forget Glover's five-fingered slap in the face to post-Banjo-Kazooie 3D platformers: Even the thick patches of fog can't disguise Glover's low-detailed textures, no-frills environments, and cliched cardboard bad guys. The weak visuals are complemented by a somewhat catchy, but repetitive soundtrack, while very appropriate sound effects help solidify the excellent feel of the various balls. Glover's such a tedious game to play, it ought to come with a Surgeon General's Warning: This product may cause frustration and boredom.”

While many were quick to write him off, Glover did have a few defenders back in the day. For example, Edge gave the Nintendo 64 game a 7 out of 10, which isn't too bad for them. Nintendo Power went a bit higher, giving it a 7.4 out of 10. That's not going to win any Game of the Year awards, but it's still respectable. And then there's Game Fan, who absolutely fell in love with this unique hero, going all the way up to, get this, 92%. Eggo, who came dressed up as a South Park character, gave it an 88, arguing that you should not “overlook this one because he's so cute it hurts. There's actually a good deal of depth here, along with puzzle-solving and platforming. Glover is hardcore, plus it's got Dennis, the blue-bouncing bop bag. 3D platformers are a somewhat tired genre on the N64, but Glover's not just another clone.” Bubba agreed: “Aww yeah! While you may take this puzzling platformer for no more than a simplistic Mario 64 rip-off, Glover proves to be one of the best Nintendo 64 titles to date. Putting the smack down with some of the best interactive puzzles I have ever seen and insanely creative level design with a flair for subtle humor put this one in a class all its own. THE Nintendo 64 sleeper hit of the year, ‘hands' down, and Dennis gets ‘ Game Character of the Year.'”

With scores ranging from 50% all the way up to 92%, it's clear there's a lot of disagreement when it comes to the critics. Some loved it, while others weren't that impressed. Given the spread, it should surprise nobody that Glover earned an overall average of 67%. This is definitely an interesting game to go back and revisit all these years later.

From the moment Super Mario 64 was shown running on Nintendo 64 hardware, developers around the world theorized that they could make a killing if they just ripped it off on the PlayStation and Saturn. The lure of being the PlayStation's Mario 64 was just too enticing for some developers. And that is, more or less, how we got to Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, from Fox Interactive. This was actually developed by Argonaut Games, who had just come off of working with Nintendo on games like Star Fox and Stunt Race FX. They must have assumed that this would give them the leg up, because they went into the release of Croc incredibly confident, even going as far as to advertise the game as a Mario 64 killer. Those are strong words that seem almost impossible to back up, right? Let's see if they got any help from the critics.

We're going to once again start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which ended up giving both the PlayStation and Saturn versions the same exact score – 7.5 out of 10. This is one of those rare times where everybody was on the same page. Kraig summed it up like this: “Croc is an amalgamation of elements from just about every popular platform game you can think of (especially Mario 64). Regardless, this cute game is good enough to stand on its own, even though it does have a few problems. My biggest gripes are that it's often difficult to judge your jumps in the 3D environments and that the enemies respawn after a few seconds. Despite its annoyances, Croc is one of the better PlayStation 3D platformers.” Shawn agreed, saying that “some guys around the EGM office keep saying how Croc is ‘just like' Mario. Sure, there are a lot of similarities, but remember, this is PlayStation here. And for Croc being on the PlayStation, it's a moderately fun and cool game. It has its share of problems, like loose control and jumps that are difficult to judge, but the graphics still look great. It's definitely no Mario, but technically speaking, it's quite an achievement on the PlayStation.”

For what it's worth, EGM was actually on the lower side of the divide. Only two English-language magazines gave the game a lower score, with Edge going with a 6 out of 10 and Computer & Video Games agreeing, giving it a 3 out of 5. CVG summed it up this way: “Fox is trying to suggest that Croc is the PlayStation's Mario 64, but anyone who has played both games for more than ten minutes will tell you that the comparison doesn't do Croc any favors. Unlike Mario, which had all the power of Miyamoto's imagination on its side, Croc really isn't much more than an old-fashioned platformer that uses all the familiar cliches. Admittedly, PlayStation owners haven't seen it in quite this form, and you have to give Argonaut credit for the detail in the 3D environment, which looks excellent. Technically, it's a very accomplished game, and it does give the player plenty to do. Just don't go expecting anything genuinely ground-breaking.”

As we climb back up the scale, you'll find that most critics were in the 80% range. You had PSM give Croc a solid score of 4 out of 5. That's the exact same score you saw from the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine in their very first issue. And just for fun, let's check in with Saturn Power, who also gave the platformer an 80%. “I'm finding this a very tricky game to review. At the heart of Croc are some really good (although completely unoriginal) ideas, some beautiful graphical touches and a large enough game for most of us, but, due to the design of Croc's engine, the limits imposed by it have resulted in some decidedly limited gameplay. You wander through, collect a couple of gems, the odd Gobbo and fall into the lava with increasing regularity and then it's on to the next one. There's a few challenges, but, sadly enough, most of the stages repeat the same old patterns. Croc is a very good attempt to replicate THAT Nintendo 64 game, but, at the end of the day, you can't help feeling that the game should have a hedgehog in it and should have been developed by Travellers Tales.”

Further up the scale we have Entertainment Weekly giving the game a B. Game Fan, who couldn't stop raving about Glover, ended up giving Croc a slightly lower score of 87%. If you're looking for the top score, then that comes from GamePro, who gave the platformer a 4.5 out of 5 on both systems. That said, even with the high score, they did still have some complaints: “Unfortunately, Croc also suffers from familiar problems rampant in the genre: camera and control confusion. Inexplicably, pulling Down on the analog controller makes Croc take a step forward to swing around in an arc, plunging him off any ledges if he's too close. Suicidal reversing aside, the highly responsive analog controller's the only way to go, and Croc's worth the learning curve. This game ranks as the best, most fluid 32-bit 3D platformer yet.”

As a Mario 64 rip-off, Croc gets the job done. It didn't break any new ground or attempt to evolve the genre, which is why you were probably surprised when you saw that it was getting a remastered re-release. It's fun, but nothing special. You see that in the overall average, which comes in at 77%. It's not the best 3D platformer on the PlayStation, but it was one of the first. And that counts for something.